French Brass and Steel Table Lamp BaseTurner's Masterpiece Object — France, Mid-20th Century

DETAILS:
Size: Height 32 cm (12.6 in)
Material: polished brass stem and sphere; brushed steel circular base
Style/Period: French craft tradition, objet de maîtrise, mid-20th century
Weight: approximately 2.3 kg (5.1 lb)
Sockets: one — inspected and tested before dispatch, rewired where needed, and delivered working and ready to use; plug adapted to your country (US/UK/EU) at no extra charge
Lampshades: not included
Shipping: professionally packed, fully insured, worldwide
Condition: very good; brass bright and clean; steel base with honest surface marks consistent with age; sits flat and firm
Returns: accepted within 30 days

Before dispatch, our workshop will inspect and test the electrical system, with rewiring and replacement fittings where needed. Delivered working and ready to use.

In the French craft tradition, the objet de maîtrise — the masterpiece object — was the piece a craftsman made to prove his qualification. A turner working in metal would produce a single object that demonstrated every technique his trade demanded: the precision of the lathe, the control of profile, the ability to work two materials in harmony and bring them to a finish that a committee of masters would judge worthy of the guild. These objects were not made for sale. They were made to be looked at by people who understood exactly how difficult they were.

This lamp base is French, mid-twentieth century, an objet de maîtrise by a metal turner, in polished brass and brushed steel. The form is a candlestick composition in two materials: a wide, flat circular base in brushed steel — turned on the lathe to a perfectly even dish form with concentric burnishing rings visible across its face — from which a brass stem rises through three elements: a tapering column that swells and narrows in a continuous concave-convex profile, a compressed ball, and a final sphere at the crown that carries the socket. Note how the transition between the brushed steel base and the polished brass stem is resolved at a precise shoulder collar — no gap, no filler, the fit of two metals worked to tolerance, which is exactly what a maîtrise examiner would look for. The contrast between the warm gold of the brass and the cool silver of the steel is the whole design: two materials, one form, nothing else needed.

Whoever kept this before you preserved both the polish and the weight intact. The brass is bright; the steel base carries the honest surface marks of a working object; the piece sits flat and firm. It arrives inspected and tested before dispatch, rewired where needed, and delivered working and ready to use, plug adapted to your country at no charge.

It arrives professionally packed and fully insured. Returns are accepted within 30 days.

Condition

Electrical details

Read our condition standard. Please ask if you need additional photographs or measurements.

A decorative style is not a guarantee of a particular maker or date. See the individual listing for the stated attribution and period.

Worldwide delivery is included in the price. Every piece is individually packed, tracked and fully insured. No shipping charge is added at checkout. If your destination is not listed, please contact us before ordering.

European Union: no customs and no import charges. Delivery usually takes 2–5 working days after dispatch.

United States: Maison Jaspers pays the tariffs and import duties for you.

United Kingdom: UK import VAT is payable on delivery (5% for antiques over 100 years old, otherwise 20%).

Other destinations: local import taxes may apply and are payable by the recipient. Contact us before ordering if you would like guidance.

Dispatch timing is shown above.

Delivery information

Notify us within 30 days of delivery if you wish to return a piece. No reason is required. Returns are free within the Netherlands and Belgium; from elsewhere you pay return shipping for a change-of-mind return.

Return instructions and your consumer rights